April's Fool
by DawnFire and Silver Huntress
Summary: George reflects on events after the Final Battle. Second part, Angelina’s interference. Third part, Fred’s thoughts. Bittersweet. Note: DEATHLY HALLOWS SPOILERS. Threeshot. Written by DawnFire.
1. April's Fool

**A/N:** I hope you like this.

~DawnFire~

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Summary: Reflections of George Weasley after the Final Battle. Sort of sad, but not completely--bittersweet, I suppose. Note: DEATHLY HALLOWS SPOILER(S)! Twoshot. Second part will have Angelina in it. Written by DawnFire.

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Revised Summary: Reflections of George Weasley after the Final Battle. Sort of sad, but not completely--bittersweet, I suppose. Note: DEATHLY HALLOWS SPOILER(S). Threeshot. Second part will have Angelina in it. Third part, well, you'll see. Written by DawnFire.

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**DISCLAIMER:** I really don't own Harry Potter. Or his friends. Or the series of books written about him. If I did, I doubt that I would have even thought about killing off Fred. Or Sirius. Or Dobby. Or--you get the idea. I was crying when she killed off Fred...**

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**April's Fool**

_His laugh was __so bitter now, ringing horribly differently from the laugh he had had before._

He had thought, once, that nothing would ever go wrong, but that had been when he was much younger. He had since been disabused of that notion in his sixth year, with Lord Voldemort's return.

But he had still been alright, his world complete. He had his family, his friends, his twin. He and Fred were well on their way to opening their joke shop, their dream. Voldemort was not a huge threat to his happiness, not yet.

He had lost an ear, when they were nineteen, but that had not been so awful, even though he was always rather unpleasantly surprised when he glanced in a mirror and saw his ear missing. He was still alive, he still had his friends, still had the majority of his family (he had not considered Percy family at that time, and now found his older brother's return inadequate exchange for his identical brother's loss), still had his other half, still had his twin. And, in his foolishness and naivety, he believed that nothing and no one could take that away. He had still believed that he would never lose Fred.

_And yet he was gone. And he would never come back._

His laughter was turning hysterical, turning to tears and sadness. It was no longer light-hearted and happy, and, to be honest, he was pretty sure that it would never be that way again. What reason did he have to laugh now?

He had been so foolish, once upon a time. So foolish to believe that nothing would go wrong, even as people died around him. So foolish to believe that the death and destruction would not, could not, affect him so personally.

He had not believed that the war could ever take his twin, his other half, away from him.

He had thought that, when it came time for them to die, they would die together, both fighting, or both aged, or mucking up an experiment together and then having an argument in the afterlife over who it had been, exactly, that had messed it up. But they would die together.

_So naïve. So foolish._

They had been born on April Fool's day, and had thought it a marvellous joke.

Two twins, two identical pranksters, born on All Fools' Day? It was ridiculous. It was hilarious.

_It was perfect._

They had joked about being April's Fools, playing every practical joke that they could think of, and then some. Once, on April 1st, they had set up a prank, and a banner that read, 'April's Fools wish you a Happy Fools' Day!' They had been twelve years old at the time, and had found it hilarious to have the entire Great Hall singing their praises—literally. The funniest part, to their minds, had been stern Professor McGonagall attempting to sing them into detention and Professor Dumbledore singing a rebuke that it was their birthday and that two such amazing pranksters should not be punished, especially on the occasion of both their birthday and All Fools' Day. From the way the Headmaster's eyes had twinkled, the twins had deduced that the praise he gave them had not even been forced.

_He was truly April's Fool now._

So foolish, to believe that nothing could ever happen to destroy his life. So foolish, to have once believed that no war would ever come his way. So foolish, to believe that they would be Gred and Forge, the twins, forever.

Yes, George Weasley was truly April's Fool now.

_April's Fool…_

_**The End**_

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A/N: The way that oneshot got written was me thinking up the title April's Fool and then finding a story to go with it...assuming you wanted to know that, which you most likely didn't...

I might write a second part--in fact, I probably will. It'll probably have Angelina in it.

Funny, really, how two out of my three finished oneshots are canon (follow the original series) and are fairly sad...don't look for the third, it won't be posted for a while because it would ruin another story that I have up here. The other oneshot that I have up here is basically the aftermath/reflections of/on Halloween 1981...ie, Voldemort's defeat...though it concentrates more on the tragedies...it's not 'make you cry' sad, though, just kind of--subdued. I feel like I, for one, would be more likely to cry over _April's Fool_ than _Cause and Effect, or Loss_.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this. I'm putting this as In Progress because I'm planning on writing the second part...unless people really don't want me to, but I think I'd probably write it anyway.

Well, tell me what you think of this, please...I like to know...

Ta,

DawnFire~


	2. The Fool's Love

A/N: Well, here's the second part...as you may have noticed, this is actually a threeshot. Which means one more part, which is currently half-written.

I hope you enjoy this second part. The third part will be coming when, well, when I finish it...

And while I'm talking, BBC's Robin Hood is more or less amazing. The Huntress got me hooked on it...

Enjoy.

~DawnFire~

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Revised Summary: Reflections of George Weasley after the Final Battle. Second part, Angelina's interference. Bittersweet, I suppose. Note: DEATHLY HALLOWS SPOILER(S). Threeshot. Third part will have Fred and others in it. Written by DawnFire.

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**DISCLAIMER:** Yeah...about this. There seems to have been some misunderstanding here. I'm not British, I have never even published a book, although I plan to. And my name is certainly not JK Rowling--I don't have a W, a J, or a K--or a G, for that matter--in my name. Well, I suppose DawnFire has a W...oops. But basically, I am not JKR. Ok? Get it? Got it? Good. Now we can move on. Enjoy the second part of the threeshot.

Kind of funny how I'm eating bittersweet chocolate right now...if you don't know what I'm talking about, look at the summary.

Yours,

~DawnFire~**

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**The Fool's Love**

"George?"

He looked up blankly, and met dark brown eyes.

It took him a moment to recognize her.

"Angelina."

She was frowning. "George, your family's worried about you." A pause. "I'm worried too. So is Lee. Are you—are you alright?"

Honesty...lying...he chose honesty.

"Not really, no."

In fact, he was very far from being alright, but he might as well try and lighten it a little.

"George, it's not your fault that Fred—"

"I know it's not my fault."

His voice had never sounded like that before, devoid of emotion...dead.

Like his twin was dead.

Angelina looked somewhere between concern and horror. "What's happened to you? You sound—"

"Don't." he said sharply, and turned away.

He stared at the shelves, thinking in the back of his mind that he should probably restock them. But he couldn't seem to make himself do what was needed to run the shop properly. He just couldn't see the point anymore.

"George—"

"What do you want, Angelina?"

She watched him for a moment, nearly glaring, before she said coolly, "You're not the only one who misses him. Lee was his best friend. Your family lost a brother and a son. I used to—"

"Go out with him, yeah."

He remembered a prank they had attempted to pull out of sheer boredom once, dressing identically and both pretending to be her date, to be Fred. She had finally solved the mystery by going to kiss each of them, which resulted in Fred yelling, 'Oi!' and pulling her away from George just before their lips met. George had laughed until tears streamed from his eyes, but he hadn't completely forgotten the feeling of being so close to her.

He couldn't.

She's Fred's girl, he had told himself, before this whole mess with the war had started properly. She's not yours, and she probably never will be. Get her out of your head, and find someone else.

And for a time he had succeeded, but his heart wasn't quite in it. No matter who he was with, he would eventually come back to wondering what kissing Angelina would be like, what having her for a girlfriend, _his_ girlfriend, would be like...

Fingers snapped in front of his face. "George!"

He jumped a little, and turned to face Angelina again. "What?"

"I _said_, this has to stop."

"What has to stop?"

"This—this depression you've gotten yourself into. It's not healthy—"

He tuned her out. Did she think he hadn't heard what she was saying before? Lee, his mother, Percy...they had all said the same thing, to no effect.

He had ignored Lee. He had listened to his mum, nodded like a good boy, and then gone back to wondering how he could cope without Fred. He had heard Percy out, and then told him dully to get out of his shop.

When Angelina was done talking and had gone away like the others, George would return to his bitter musings, just like he had done before. Why should this time be any different?

"George, are you even listening to me?"

No.

"Yes," he replied.

Angelina glared at him, spotting the lie, but he turned away, staring blankly at a shelf that had once held Decoy Detonators.

About five seconds passed in silence, and then he felt a hand grab his shoulder, turn him around. Before he could fully comprehend what was going on, Angelina had pressed her lips to his.

His eyes widened in shock before they closed and he kissed her back.

This time was different after all.

He was still April's Fool, but it was no longer the only thing about him. He still thought of Fred, but his life was no longer dedicated to mourning his twin.

The Fool had found his Love.

**La Fin**** 2**

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A/N: One part to go! I actually didn't think I'd finish this one for another couple of weeks, since I got stuck, but yesterday I had a dance rehearsal with a lot of free time (try a couple of hours) so I ended up writing a lot and, wonder of wonders, finishing part 2!!

Part 3 is about half-done. And it needs a bit of a better title. But it's coming along nicely...as seen in the summary, it has 'Fred and others' in it. Who the 'others' are, well, you can either guess or wait and see, it really depends on what you feel like doing...

Well, I hope you're enjoying this story, and thank you to the people who have reviewed, and to those who added this to favorites--I was really...is flattered the right word here? Maybe. But anyway, thank you so much!!

And remember, we authors thrive on reviews, so... :D

I'll bid you good day. And the third part will be a little more humorous--see, the way I see it, the first part would be labeled 'tragedy', the second would be labeled, uh, 'hurt/comfort'? no, 'Romance'...and the third would be labeled more 'humor'. Strange. Hope my attempt at romance went all right, it's not something that I'm used to writing...even though it's in a lot of my stories, well, later on in them...weird.

I'll stop rambling now.

Yours,

~DawnFire~


	3. The Fool's Reflection

A/N: Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls...Mesdames, Mesdemoiselles, and--I mean et--Messieurs, the time has come to proudly present the third and final part of April's Fool. I apologize for the long wait, but I must say that I am rather happy with the way this turned out. Enjoy,

~DawnFire~

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Final Summary: Reflections of George Weasley after the Final Battle. Second part, Angelina's interference. Third part, Fred's thoughts and more. Bittersweet. Note: DEATHLY HALLOWS SPOILER(S). Threeshot. Written by DawnFire.

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**DISCLAIMER:** The time has come, said a very sad walrus named DawnFire, to post the final disclaimer...I, DawnFire, do solemnly swear that whatever in this story (April's Fool) that is not a product of my own imagination is the product of JKR's imagination and, as such, does NOT belong to me. Computer-signed (and sealed on this 31st day of May),

~DawnFire~ (|~|) - (book seal--imagine a few more squiggly lines :D )

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**The Fool's Reflection**

Looking down, Fred was forced to admit that he was slightly hurt. Or annoyed. Or both.

While he didn't really want George to be depressed, he was a little hurt that his twin had stopped being depressed so suddenly. But he supposed there was Angelina to thank for that.

Angelina.

Strangely enough, he wasn't really all that annoyed that George had got the girl. They were happy, right? That was what mattered...

Besides, Fred could hardly go claim her, being dead, so it was really all for the best that George—

Enough, he thought in annoyance. I refuse to go back and forth over this in my head. With myself as an audience, no less.

"Thinking again?" grinned a voice from behind him.

Fred smirked. "You'd think I wouldn't, what with it being bad for the health and all, but yeah, I am."

Marauder and twin shared a laugh, and Sirius walked forward to join Fred in watching George and Angelina in one of the misty window-like objects.

"Well, he seems happier," the Animagus ventured, after they had watched in silence for a minute.

"No kidding, mate."

Silence for a while, finally broken by laughter.

"James, you've put it on back to front!"

James looked down, bemused. "Have I?"

Sirius and Fred both turned, Sirius breaking into laughter almost immediately at the sight of James wearing a strangely ornate sort of breastplate. Fred grinned. He couldn't tell if the thing really _was_ on back to front, but either way it looked hilarious.

"James," Lily gasped through her laughter. "James, you look like an idiot."

James made a face at her, and started to tug on one of the straps holding the breastplate-thing in place. "Help me get this off, would you, Padfoot?"

Sirius waved him off, laughing harder than Lily.

James looked around. "Moony?"

Remus glanced at him, and then behind him. "Oh, hello, Nympha—"

"Call me by that name and I'll—"

"Dora, then. Come see what James has managed to do..."

Nymphadora Lupin came, and burst out laughing. "James—" she gasped out, but didn't get any farther than that as the laughter overtook her.

Fred shook his head. "Can't get out, mate?"

James scowled at him. "What does it look like, Weasley?"

Fred shrugged. "Pretty bad, Potter."

James sighed, and glanced down again. Then, slowly, he started to grin.

"I do look rather ridiculous, don't I."

Everyone nodded or gasped their agreement fervently.

James looked at all of them, down at himself, back at the rest, and joined the laughter.

"Someone help me get out of this thing," he grinned finally. "It's not very comfortable."

Lily, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, waved her wand twice, making the straps undo and the breastplate float to the ground.

James smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, love."

"Oi, why'd you have to help him out?" Sirius asked, still laughing slightly, but managing to look injured at the same time. "It was funny!"

Lily was saved from answering by a sudden cry.

"Harry Potter is going to propose! Harry Potter is going to be _married_! Dobby wishes he could be there, Dobby is so happy, come and see, come and see, Harry Potter is going to propose!"

There was a sudden rush to join Dobby the house-elf at another of the windows where, indeed, Harry stood fingering a small jewelry box nervously, glancing at Ginny Weasley every other moment.

Fred glanced over, grinning, but then something made him pause and look back at George and Angelina's window.

They were just standing there—just holding each other tightly.

And then, as Fred watched, they separated, smiling at each other, exchanged a few words, and began to restock the near-empty joke-shop shelves.

Grinning properly now, happy to know that his twin—and the joke-shop—would be alright, Fred joined the cheering crowd around Harry and Ginny's window, managing to wolf-whistle through his laughter at Harry's nervous and now startled face as Fred's little sister launched herself at Harry with a cry of delight. She kissed him soundly, to the further cheers and laughter of those watching from the afterlife.

And Fred reflected.

The others would join him in time. He could wait. He had good enough company, that was for sure...

He glanced at George and Angelina's window again, laughing as he watched them chase a Decoy Detonator around the shop, laughing as well.

George was truly April's Fool. But he had found his Love in Angelina.

And Fred, first the other Fool and now only the Fool's Reflection, was happy.

**La Fin ****du Threeshot—er, de la trois-shotte? ****Something like that****...**

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_A/N #2: A few things to say...First, there is a poll up on my and the Huntress' profile...if you could check that out and possibly vote, that'd be great. Second, I will hopefully be posting chapter 14? of Fawn Silver today...sorry if I don't. Third, I'm working on Chapter 5 of Al Prewett, but you shouldn't _really_ expect it, because exams start next...er, this...week. I recently had a series of three performances (the Huntress was also in them, only I had one more dance than she did...) and I hope they went well...I also have one in June, so wish me luck, k? And a reminder not to look for updates until about June 18th at the earliest. Fourth...enough rambling, I'll just post this. Please review, it makes my day...

:D

~DawnFire~

PS: One last note--the above 'chapter' should be classified as Humor. XD, DawnFire. :D


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